University of Illinois
Hal Williams Collegiate
No. 5 Illini Open Spring Schedule at Hal Williams Collegiate
February 12, 2023 | Men's Golf
PREVIEW
| Illinois at Hal Williams Collegiate | |
|---|---|
| Tournament | Hal Williams Collegiate |
| Date | Feb. 13-14 |
| Location | Mobile, Ala. |
| Course | Magnolia Grove Golf Club - Crossings Course (Par 72 / 7,212 Yards) |
| Live Scoring | Golfstat |
| Illinois | Roster | Schedule | Season Statistics |
| Shop | Fighting Illini Store |
| Social Media | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |
MOBILE, Ala. – The Illinois men's golf team, rated No. 5 nationally by Golfstat, is set to officially open the spring season, traveling to the Gulf Coast to compete in the 2023 Hal Williams Collegiate. The two-day event, formerly known as the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, is hosted by the University of South Alabama, and will be played Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 13-14.
THE SETTING
The Hal Williams Collegiate is held at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course in Mobile, Ala. The course - part of Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail - has been rated by Golf World Magazine as one of the "Top 50 Public Courses." It features a Par-72 layout that stretches 7,212 yards.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament will be played over two days with 36 holes set for Monday, followed by the final 18 on Tuesday. Each day is scheduled to begin with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. CT.
THE FIELD
The tournament field features 15 programs highlighted by three currently ranked inside the top 50 by Golfstat: Arkansas, Davidson, Illinois (5), Kansas State (21), Kent State, Louisiana, Memphis, Oral Roberts, Seton Hall, South Alabama, Southern Miss (49), Texas State, Toledo, VCU, and Western Kentucky.
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Jackson Buchanan
No. 2: Adrien Dumont de Chassart
No. 3: Matthis Besard
No. 4: Tommy Kuhl
No. 5: Piercen Hunt
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Individual: Nico Lang
Individual: Jerry Ji
Individual: Ryan Voois
ILLINI AT THE HAL WILLIAMS COLLEGIATE
The Illini have previously competed at the Hal Williams Collegiate - formerly known as the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate - five times, including each of the last three seasons. Illinois placed third as a team in the 2022 event, coming off of the 2021 showing in which the Orange and Blue secured the team title with a tournament-record score of 827 (-37). In 2020, the Illini finished as runners-up at Magnolia Grove. Former Illini Michael Feagles also set the individual tournament record in 2021 with a 54-hole total of 200 (-16) to capture medalist honors.
Current members of the Illini roster have combined to play in the event 14 times over the last three years entering Monday. Jerry Ji and Adrien Dumont de Chassart are each playing in the event for a fourth-consecutive year. Ji will tee off as an individual competitor this week after finishing second in 2021 and tying for 15th in 2020. Dumont de Chassart tied for 9th in 2021 after grabbing a share of 19th in 2020; last season he tied for fourth place. Tommy Kuhl, Piercen Hunt, and Nico Lang are all set to tee off in the event for the third time. Kuhl tied for third in his first appearance in the event in 2021, and grabbed a share of 37th last season. Lang and Hunt each played as individual competitors in 2021, finishing tied for 44th and tied for 67th, respectively. Lang also tied for 51st as an indy in 2022, while Hunt teed off in the Illini lineup and garnered a top-10 finish (T7th). Jackson Buchanan is also set to start in the lineup for the second straight season. Last year he tied for 28th in just his second-career event in the Orange and Blue's scoring lineup as a freshman. Matthis Besard will make his first appearance in the event this week, as will freshman Ryan Voois who tees off for the first time as an Illini.
The Illini also played in the tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2012 and 2013, finishing fourth and third, respectively..
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the 2021 Hal Williams Collegiate will be available on Golfstat.com. A recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of play.
UP NEXT
The Illini return to the course on Feb. 26-28 with a tough test at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, in Las Vegas, Nev. The event, hosted by UNLV, annually draws a strong field of championship-caliber programs to test themselves on a challenging desert track.
FOLLOW THE #ILLINI
For more Fighting Illini men's golf news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow @IlliniMGolf on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.
